There is an extensive literature about the coalescence of voids in elastomers and in ductile materials.
On the experimental side, see, e.g., [1]}, [2]}, [3]}.
On the numerical and modelling side, and restricting our attention, for concreteness,
to the case of elastomers,
see both
[4]}, [5]}, [6]}, [7]}, [8]},
which focus on the building-up of tension before coalescence
(only Sobolev maps are considered in the energy minimization),
and the SBV models [9]}, [10]}
(based on [11]}
and the analyses [12]}, [13]}, [14]}, [15]}),
where the interaction can be followed all the way up to
the nucleation and propagation of cracks.
